Finding fear
by XxxMylavixxX
Summary: Sakura has been working hard for the last six years after sasuke s departure-eventually surpassing even neji s high level jounin!yet still he haunts her.can she-will she-be able to get over him with the help of neji?nejixsaku please r&r this is my first!
1. The mission

Flying, that's what it felt like to run so fast almost no one could see you.

A hazy dream passed on as a cute pink haired ninja pulled three kunai from the pouch on her thigh and hurdled them at her target, hitting him. Or so she thought. A ninja with great speed and skill knocked them out of mid air with out even looking in its direction. Hell he probably didn't even turn his wrist. His black hair long touched his shoulders.

He was young, and handsome with pale soft skin stretching over lean muscles. He stood a few feet taller than her and had fascinating red eyes. She felt a longing in her heart as she flew out of the trees and flung three more kunai at him. Once again he tossed them out of his path easily. Right before her feet touched the crunchy grass he was behind her, with his arm around her waist.

She melted under his touch, but with great hesitation she struggled to finally free herself. Taking a leap back she drew shuriken from her back pocket, and once again attempted to strike him following with failure. He jumped she dodged; as they went into combat she once again drew kunai and blocked his attacks. Fist after fist, they blocked each other's moves in what seemed like a dance.

Finally his deep voice called out.

"Sakura" with that he finally touched her.

Breathing deeply, she gathered as much chakra to the end of her hand balancing it accordingly. Throwing her punch she finally landed it. Then a cloud of dust arose and a log dropped to the ground.

"Shit substitution jutsu" her sweet voice called out in anger and fear. Where did he go? She wondered feeling his presents nearby she turned on her heal taking off into the woods. An arm shot out grabbing her wrist and pulling her down. Turning she tried to yank it free though only allowing him to get her other.

He finally caught her.

Whispering into her ear his voice was soft and charming, like the moon in the sky she felt full.

"Sakura, i need you…" he beckoned sweet sensations set off her hormones and she felt her knees shake. "Sakura…" the way her name rolled off his tongue made her heart skip a beat…

"Sakura." the voice changed "SAKURA!!" as the dream slowly faded her eyes opened to the ceiling. She heard her front door practically being beat down. And the strange feeling settled over her that she was about to have the death of a teammate on her permanent record.

She pulled herself out of bed, dragged her limp body to the front door and in the middle of another beating saved her poor doors life. Eyes narrowed she glared at naruto, a yellow haired ninja she had known since they were in grade school.

"What the fuck do you want, have you any idea what time I got home last night." although she had said it with venom dripping off every letter, he stayed calm. Naruto knew she wouldn't harm him, or at least kill him. Plus he had a message for her.

"Oh hi sakura, how are you? Not an early bird are we now." he smiled at her and began humming as he pushed his way into her tiny neat apartment. Walking into the kitchen he grabbed two glasses and filled one with water, the other with orange juice. Sitting down at the two-seated table towards the corner of the room he waited for sakura to approach. Which she did with eyes redder than her usual headband she wore. She looked tired and worn but then again she had headed on a long a horrible mission returning late yesterday.

He handed the glass to her.

"Lady tsunade needs you in her office at two" he smirked "I decided to give you the message early this time" he downed his glass quickly.

Glancing at the clock she dryly replied, "that's not for two more hours naruto."She seemed down again. Standing up she walked to the sink and poured out her juice. "But thank you for actually giving me the message this time." walking to the table again she took a seat.

It had been seven years since he left. She was tired of mourning. This was his choice and they couldn't get him back. He would never return.

Lost in thought naruto admired her features, the way she had grown her hair out, and how her green eyes softly stared into the distance. Her skin so clear of blemishes, though a small almost unnoticeable scar right above her cheekbone. The only reason he had noticed it was because he had accidentally made it during a practice. She had told him it was ok and healed it herself within moments but still felt it was his fault that now her face was marked.

Snapping back into it she realized that twenty minutes already passed. Shooing naruto out she walked down the hall and set her alarm falling back asleep for another hour.

Tsunade paced her office, neji lee and kiba all waiting for the mission specs. There was a knock on the door. "Come in" tsunade welcomed sakura.

"Well now we can get down to the details. Shinobi have spotted intruders in the northwest toward the edge of the leaf walls. Then shortly after we sent chunin teams to check it out we got reports of trapps, which are of jounin levels. This is why I have assembled you four. We need you to track the intruders down, and by whatever means keep them alive. We have no idea who the are or what there capable of. Sakura you are completely charged with this team. Do Not Fail me. Neji you will be counted as official leader, are you all familiar with your positions?" tsunade waited for the four jounin to agree.

Sakura however was off in a daze, and tsunade walked over slowly then in a flash slapped sakura upside the head. She flew threw the building and slammed into a wall-breaking it-where she pulled herself up and dropped to her knees. Fatigue had set in a long time ago.

Tsunade walked over and stood her up. "Sakura. I need you for this mission. I'm sorry I can't send you home. But you are the only med Nin in the leaf village rite now, so you must attend to this group now wake up and stay up." sakura nodded her aching head. The hokage then put both hands to the sides of sakuras temples, and pushed a little healing chakra towards the pain ebbing it slowly at first but initially ending it all together. Then they both steadily made it back to the bright-eyed group. Sakura took position next to neji, he stared down at her in utmost shock that the blow had not knocked her out, but did not let it play through his fine features.

"Lady hokage," he began "I will tend to and back sakura up. We will not let you down" lee and kiba, both still staring at sakura, nodded fiercely.

Tsunade looked at sakura, who now seemed more awake, and spoke once more "you are dismissed." with that they left to get ready for the mission. Neither one of them realizing what awaited them after they left that gate.


	2. Dreams are better than this

_**Hey everyone IM Extremely sorry I haven't posted in awhile, it might have something to do with the fact that NO one left reviews so I feel all-insecure.**_

_**-Fact one: I have been busy with Academic Decathlon, a competition that involves A LOT of time and studious thinking.**_

_**-Fact two: I get home from work at like five thirty and have SIXTY MILLION pages of stupid homework that really has no point seeing as how it all connects to Japan, and I know enough to get by. -_- My Teacher thinks its funny to give us like hella work. –He doesn't even grade, Btw**_

_**-Fact three: Finals, no need to explain further **_

_**And so without further ado chapter**_

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The pain she should have felt didn't reach her. She was so out of it she didn't know if she could make this mission, stealing a glance at neji, she noticed he too looked tired.

The soft feeling of her eyes on him made him turn, just in time to catch her head swing back. No one else would have caught it, but he did. He caught everything she did. The flick of her wrist as she put her fingers through her rosy long hair, or the way she fastened her thigh pouch everyday a little different. She was beautiful. And he loved everything about her. He was snapped out of his mind when she started forward, her face a little red. From the slap, of course.

"Lady Tsunade, we need a day to prepare, give us this decency-" sakura was cut off.

"ONE DAY. ONE day could kill someone, no, Sakura your team leaves in an hour, prepare NOW. Disperse." And with that she, neji, lee, and kiba were out the window.

Unsaid the silence between them Cued lee and kiba too take their leave, and pack of the mission.

Sakura picked up speed, neji close behind her. They landed on the balcony of her apartment, she opened the door quickly making her way to the bedroom, and neji caught her arm. A shiver ran up her spine as the dream re-appeared in her mind.

"Sakura…." The look in his eyes was silent, but she knew him well enough to understand what he was about to say.

"_No_, I'm leading this mission. I'm not standing down, you've trained me well neji." A look that read 'forgive me' passed over her sweet face before the impassive one most ninjas sported took control.

He nodded. '_There's was no way she would listen to me, not now, she's on the path of finally overcoming him._' He thought to himself by '_she's getting over sasuke, I cant take that from her. Not now, not when she's so close'_

Turning away from the sleepy sakura who was heading to her room to get ready, he too left to his own packing.

'_This is going to be a Long mission'_ they both thought simultaneously, proving the point. Two great minds think alike.

Weaving through trees, bouncing off branches, the four ninjas speed on, kiba and akamaru in front of them then sakura, following with lee and to top it all off neji who brought up the rear.

They followed the directions that seemed imprinted in their mind with ease, not missing a step they looked like dancers. Always hitting the same spot the other left off, and even with sakura dead tired she followed the similar routine with no trouble.

As they approached the path that lead to their destination, a figure came into view.

Sakura jumped out first neji and akamaru following, lee and kiba stayed back to keep an eye on them, if anything they would ambush the perpetrator.

But as they landed, sakura noticed something.

Falling to her knees she put a hand on his neck, feeling for a pulse to find it had been sliced open. '_He bled out instantly, this is an easy kill' _her motions slowed as she realized that there was nothing to do bring him back.

Right then neji was securing the area. He figure-like sakura had-this man had set off a trap, and so he had to find where it was, as he did sakura found the angle of projectile, she pointed.

Neji walked a little closer before using Byakugan. His eyes widened.

"_Sakura! MOVE!"_ HE jumped and grabbed her arm, before flying out of the way of about a thousand senbon that came out of nowhere. They landed right in the middle of another trap. Logs, senbon, shuriken, and kunai flew at them like torpedoes, sakura and neji dodged as best they could akamaru stood between the trying his best to keep out of the line of fire, and miraculously he did.

Sakura, however, had three huge gashes in her arm, and a gapping wound bleeding tremendously in her stomach. Leaning down she poured chakra into it, healing it on the inside, yet it stayed open on the outside, scarred. The arms she left, not wanting to use that much chakra.

Neji, unscratched used Byakugan, to re-secure the area. This time he didn't stop. '_Damn it! How could I have been so stupid! I almost killed us!' _beating himself up over the incident, sakura could tell he wasn't about to let kiba lead this time.

"How long can you keep up with Byakugan?" she asked kindly.

"You should know, don't you remember our practices?" his voice was stern, yet it sounded so uncharacteristic of him. She noticed a hint of distress.

"Yes, I do, three days, but you were fully rested then." By now kiba and lee came running up to them, akamaru stood by kiba's side. "Right now, your not." She stated matter-o-factly.

He eyed her "Maybe six hours, if I'm lucky seven" his voice was still stiff, and the distress was fading.

"Then you lead, kiba, replace him and follow rear, lee you'll take my spot. I'm going to follow behind kiba with akamaru. Does everyone understand their positions?" she was starting to sound like Lady Tsunade.

Lee and kiba, still confused, lee absent mindedly stated "But sakura, are you ok?! Your arm is still bleeding!" His point made neji strode over to her, pulling out a medicine wrap, and fixed this problem of hers.

As his hand touched her arm she felt that connection shoot up her spine again. Wonder crossed her mind and she looked into his eyes, blank, yet so full of purpose. She felt her heart speed up, and his touch started to set her skin on fire. He caught her gaze, and finished the knot. Yet kept his focus on her green eyes. She blushed a deep red.

He stood up and took the lead, allowing sakura to stand as well, lee and kiba left to ponder what was happening between those two.

After encountering sixteen more traps and diffusing them, about eight hours had passed, and it was well into the night. Neji didn't think he would last much longer. Finally as exhaustion caught her finally in her grip, sakura ordered camp set up. No fire though, that would get them caught by whoever set these traps.

Once camp was set sakura passed out, sending her into a dream…

"Sakura, I have missed you dearly," a seductive voice breathed in her ear, as his hand trailed down her stomach and to the rim of her panties. "Please except my sincerest apologies I haven't had the time to pause and-" her heart stopped as his other hand trailed up her back, and that feeling neji gave her came back into her mind "come see you." He finished.

"Neji…?" she didn't know what to expect of the foreign voice.

"No, My love, guess again" his voice was playful as he twirled a pink strand of hair around his finger.

"Genma?" She has had many different dreams, different people in said dreams; this time she hoped it wasn't a repeat of yesterdays dream.

"No…" he leaned closer, pulling her into his chest "wrong again" a piece of dark black hair slipped over her shoulder as he rested his chin there, Her eyes widened a gasp escaped her lips.

He giggled, apparently amused.

Twisting out of his grip, she turned eying him suspiciously. Reaching for a kunai, to find she didn't have her equipment. Nor did she have mush on. A chest wrap bound her breasts and was barely covered by a half shirt that revealed her tight stomach, not showing her abs yet clearly defining her hips. The only thing that covered her other than that was a pair of green bootie shorts that she normally wore to bed at home.

She saw that he too was half naked. With a bare chest that was well defined, his arms were muscular and not too thick that it made him unattractive no this was just right. His waist held a hakama, and a sword at the hip level.

The both of them were bare footed, and she felt drawn to him.

"S-Sasu-Sasuke!" her eyes teared up, and she felt her arms go limp.

"Sakura, I love-"

_Her eyes snapped open tears poured down her cheeks, she wiped them away. Then she took notice of where she was._

_Head on a leg-Neji's leg-and he was leaned against the trunk of a tree, completely asleep. His hair covered half his face, one hand rested atop her head with a tangle of her back length hair she had grown out._

_She liked this it was comfortable. Glancing around she saw kiba asleep on akamaru sleeping sweetly; about ten feet away, and lee sprawled out bout half way from her and kiba._

_This was a quite moment. A rare one that rested between them all, She stared up at Neji's face, watching as it twitched from everything that happened in his dreams. She wondered if they were peaceful. Or maybe if she was on his mind, as he often was hers. This thought made her face turn red. She wondered what his lips felt like, and before she figure out what she was doing, her lips were softly pressed against his. Heat filled her face, and she pressed a little harder closing her eyes. His hand slowly made its way to the back of her head._

_His eyes snapped open. She ripped away._

_They stared at each other. Eyes wide, mouth agape. Sakuras face deepened in color. Everything swirled, she started to turn away, but he caught her face in his hand. He made her look him in the eye._

"_Why?" his simple question had deep emotion embedded in it "Sakura, do you really…" His thoughts trailed off mind racing. "I wish you would do that again." His face was sleepy, and soft his eyes widened as she started to lean forward, and he readied for the kiss._

**Snap**_. They both jumped. Kiba, lee, and akamaru were up in a flash._

**Crack. **_They took off, hiding their trail, into the nearest bushes. Little did they know this was exactly what they wanted._

_Sakura watched as six men jumped into the little clearing. She heard neji next to her mutter something incoherent, and three men turned looked directly at their bush and busted out a scroll._

"Katon Karyuu Endan!" And with that a large dragon made of fire, came bursting of his mouth and in their direction. Sakura used substitution jutsu just in time, barely dodging the attack and replacing her body with a nearby log.

A hand whipped out of nowhere, that put her into defense mode. She pulled out a kunai. Her killer instinct set in as she preyed on the ninja that snuck up behind her, jabbing the kunai into the back of his skull.

**

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Hey I'm hoping you guys enjoy this chapter, and it's going to get more intense in the next one. So yea ima make sakura badass. And Yea I would LOVE at least one review giving me a critique. Anyways I hope to be publishing the next chapter real soon, so tune in people and loyal followers!……I don't have followers huh? **

_-Nat_


	3. Im soooo sorry

Hey everyone. Im sorry ive taken FOREVER but im going to post soon i promise, scouts honor, anyway hold tight alright? Love u all, nat


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